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The Health and Social Care Act 2012 created a legal responsibility for the NHS to deliver “parity of esteem” between mental and physical health. But the MPs said in their letter to Theresa May that this has still not happened in practice.

They said: “We would like to see this aspiration become a reality and believe ring-fencing will get us one step closer to real equality for mental health.”

And the MPs warned: “We see this injustice every day in our constituencies. Our constituents face long waits to access mental health services, if they get a referral at all.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince Harry were set to host of a palace reception celebrating the contribution of those working in the mental health sector.

The evening event - being held to mark World Mental Health Day - recognises the progress, hard work and dedication of those determined to raise awareness of mental health issues over many years.

William, Kate and Harry have supported the issue with their Heads Together mental health campaign that has been encouraging people to speak out about their psychological problems or be a sympathetic ear for others.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arrive to speak at a briefing to outline the next phase of Heads Together as the campaign intensifies its efforts to create millions of conversations around mental health in 2017.

The Government has announced a new £15 million programme to train up to 1 million people in basic mental health “first aid” skills. The programme will improve personal resilience and help people recognise and respond effectively to signs of mental illness in others, the Department of Health said.

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The campaign, designed and delivered by Public Health England (PHE), will help people assess their own mental wellbeing and learn techniques to reduce stress.

Mrs May said: “I want to use the power of government as a force for good to transform the way we deal with mental health problems right across society, and at every stage of life.

“Tackling the injustice and reducing the stigma associated with mental health conditions is a priority for me, which is why today I set the goal of providing 1 million members of the public with basic mental health awareness and first aid.”

But the challenges of changing attitudes about mental health were highlighted by a new report which said insults re becoming more commonplace, with words like “retard”, “weirdo” and “psycho” heard in everyday language.

Campaigning: Ian Austin MP

A YMCA study found that more than four in five young people say they have heard harmful language and negative stereotypes used about people experiencing mental health difficulties.

More than two fifths of those questioned said they had heard these types of insults at least weekly.

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The findings, published on World Mental Health Day, are based on two polls, one of around 1,000 16 to 24-year-olds and the other of around 2,000 11-24-year-olds.

The report says: “Insults around mental health have become commonplace in society as words like ‘retard’, ‘mental’, ‘weirdo’, ‘psycho’, and ‘crazy’ infiltrate everyday language.”

More than three quarters of young people said they have heard “retard” used negatively in relation to young people experiencing mental health difficulties, while 78% have heard “mental”, 71% have heard “weirdo” and 70% have heard “psycho”, it found.